June 20, 2016

A rally to commemorate a 20-year-old Okinawan woman, who was victimized by rape and murder involving a former U.S. marine, took place on June 19 at an athletic stadium in Naha City in Okinawa. More than 65,000 Okinawans packed the stadium and overflowed into surrounding streets.

For 71 years since the Pacific War ended, Okinawa has been suffering hardships caused by the U.S. military presence. After the 1972 reversion of Okinawa to Japan, 5,910 crimes committed by U.S. military personnel occurred in Okinawa. Of these, the number of heinous crimes totaled 575. With the repeated crimes and incidents caused by U.S. servicemen and U.S. military civilian employees, Okinawans’ anger and sorrow have reached their limit.

Participants dressed in black held a moment of silence for the victim and adopted a resolution demanding the removal of the U.S. bases, in particular the immediate withdrawal of the U.S. Marine Corps, from Okinawa as an effective step to prevent further crimes.

The father of the victimized woman sent the rally a message reading, “Regrettable deaths of loved ones leave the bereft families in immeasurable sadness, pain, and anger. I believe it will be possible for Okinawa, if all of us come together, to stop the Henoko base construction and realize a base-free Okinawa in order to never allow another atrocity to occur.”

Okinawa Governor Onaga Takeshi delivered an address at the memorial rally. He recollected when he laid a wreath at the spot where her body was found, he felt so sorry that he could not protect the victim. He said, “I, as Okinawa Governor, need to express my regrets and apologize for not being able to change the present state.”

The governor expressed his determination to work on: drastic revision of the Japan-U.S. Status of Forces Agreement (SOFA); downsizing of U.S. military bases which includes the removal of the U.S. Marine Corps; and cancellation of the Henoko base plan.

A woman in her 20s called on people in the same generation as the victim, “Let us live with responsibility for the sake of our futures which she was deprived of experiencing.”

10,000 gather outside Diet in solidarity with Okinawans

In front of the Diet building in Tokyo, another rally with a live broadcast of Okinawa’s memorial rally took place with more than 10,000 people participating.

Japanese Communist Party Vice Chair Tamura Tomoko (House of Councilors), Democratic Party member of the House of Representatives Hatsushika Akihiro, and Social Democratic Party head Yoshida Tadatomo spoke to the crowd.

A similar rally also took place on this day at more than 40 locations in 32 prefectures in solidarity with Okinawans.

Past related articles:
> Supra-partisan Okinawa assemblymen call for withdrawal of Marines and revised SOFA [June 11, 2016]
> Over 70% of Okinawans: neither ‘discipline’ nor ‘education’ prevents US crimes [June 4, 2016]
> Gov’t decides on ineffective measures to prevent crimes committed by US servicemen [June 4, 2016]